The Lunch Break

Ashok Ramchander, the dynamic and passionate performer took his last breath in April of 2016. Varshan Sookhun paid special tribute to Ashok’s rich musical & cultural contribution. He was joined by Rajen Ramchander, Ashok’s younger brother, to remember the legendary performer.

How do you meet the expenses of the traditional year-end holidays, with a super-tight budget? Varshan, spoke to Sarah Nicholson, Commercial Manager of personal finance website JustMoney, to get her tips on how to manage our budgets during the holidays and save smartly.

#Covid19SA #ChooseLife With the second wave of the Covid-19 and localized lockdowns – parents will have to find ways to keep their young children engaged during the festive season. Early Childhood Development innovator, Meg Faure, who is a best-selling author and co-founder of Play Sense, joined Varshan Sookhun to chat about an exciting free online programme for 2 to 4 year olds – which will keep...

Indian Match Maker, Kas Naidoo, joined Varshan Sookhun to share tips on how to beat the loneliness and explore true love this festive season.

The 10th of December 2020 marked 24 years since the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa was signed into law. Varshan Sookhun, spoke to Constitutional lawyer Lwando Xaso, who is the Content Curator for The Constitutional Hill trust, about 27 limited edition postcards that has been produced in honour of this anniversary.

#Covid19 #ChooseLife Many people are still struggling with the emotional, physical and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and are likely to feel these effects for months, if not years to come. Varshan Sookhun, spoke to Ian Fuhr, who is the founder of the Hatch Institute, a personal and business coaching company, about some of the critical issues that arose in 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pande...

#Covid19 #ChooseLife With Covid-19 upending every aspect of our lives, it would be an understatement to say that it’s been a challenging year. Working at home during lockdown, has further blurred the boundaries of work and leisure time, bringing with it a pressure to continuously perform. Varshan Sookhun, chatted to Edwin Govender, a Pharmacist and co-founder of Neurologica, about burnout and how...

Varshan Sookhun, caught up with South Africa’s nightingale Lata Modi, to chat about her musical journey and memorable songs.

2020 marks the 160th Anniversary of the Arrival of the first Indian Indentured Labourers to the shores of South Africa. Varshan had the pleasure of hosting distinguished community stalwart, Mr. Jaisingh Surujbullee Singh, President of the 1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation Verulam, to educate listeners about the concept of ‘Girmit’ and the reasons as to why Indians left their homeland in the 180...

In commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Varshan spoke to the founder of Nokusa Support, Menzi Nxumalo, about the non-profit organisation’s work in the Disability sector and about the challenges people with disabilities who are in a wheelchair face on a daily basis.

#DontTurnABlindEye #16DaysofActivism Varshan spoke to the founder of the TEARS Foundation, Mara E Glennie, about the non-profit organisation which provides victims of abuse with assistance nationwide with a 24 hour free SMS service.

#DontTurnABlindEye #16DaysofActivism In a bid to lower incidences of Gender Based Violence in our country - The 1000 Women Trust has launched a major national campaign urging parents to make a pledge to #MakeTime to speak to their sons about consent, boundaries and respect for women. Varshan spoke to Tina Thiart, a founding member of the 1000 Women Trust, about the significance of the campaign.

#DontTurnABlindEye #16DaysOfActivism Safe Space RSA is a female run, non-profit company that aims to fight Gender Based Violence through social awareness. Varshan Sookhun spoke to Naee’lah Dellwaria, one of the founding directors.

#Covid19 #ChooseLife Travel bookings, events and weddings had to be cancelled amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Many consumers are still battling to get refunds from service providers. Varshan Sookhun, spoke to consumer expert, Attorney Trudie Broekmann, about how consumers can handle such claims from service providers.

#Covid19 #ChooseLife The Covid-19 pandemic has really challenged everyone – physically and emotionally. Varshan spoke to Traci French – who is the Founder and Owner of Body and Mind, an online health & wellness directory, about the Body & Mind Christmas Festival, a community event to address issues of personal health, motivation and inspiration.

#Covid19 #ChooseLife The Covid-19 lockdowns have caused many to evaluate their current path, including the direction they are taking career-wise. Varshan spoke to education expert - Dr Gillian Mooney, Dean: Academic Development and Support at The Independent Institute of Education, about what one needs to consider before making a career change and how to avoid hasty decisions.

Varshan Sookhun paid tribute to humanitarian and community stalwart Satish Dhupelia, who sadly passed away at the age of 66 after three weeks of serious illness.

Varshan Sookhun, hosted a special chat with Lotus FM listener Romilla Ramsunder, about her late husband, Kay Ramsunder, who was an avid listener and found great comfort in listening to Lotus FM during his battle with ill-health.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday is around the corner – and the shopping bonanzas presents a host of risks to your online safety. Varshan Sookhun, caught up with Shaun Phakade, a cybersecurity specialist at ESET SA, to get advice on how to safeguard ourselves against cyber thieves and online scams when shopping online

The 1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation, Verulam, has launched a new book to commemorate the 160th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Indian Indentured Labourers to South Africa. Varshan Sookhun, spoke to the editor of the publication, Mr. Naran Rajbansi, about the book which details how the Indian Indentured Labourers were referred to as Human Cargo, during the period of Indenture.

#Covid19SA #ChooseLife Grade 12 learners lost a significant portion of their academic year due to the Covid-19 lockdown, which has impacted on their ability to adequately prepare for exams that usually play a key role in university applications. Varshan Sookhun, spoke to Professor Cheryl Foxcroft - Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning & Teaching at Nelson Mandela University, about what learning will l...

2020 marks the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the first Indian Indentured labourers to the shores of South Africa. In commemoration of this important milestone in South African Indian history –Varshan had the pleasure of chatting to Dr. Dhana Sagree Govender, who wrote the article The Lived Experiences of Indian Diasporic Academic Women. This article draws from research, that focused on the e...

Dr. Sadna Balton is the Head of Speech Therapy and Audiology at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. She spoke to Varshan about being nominated for the Integrity Icon Award, for her outstanding contribution to the fraternity.

Isabel Rao forayed into the entertainment industry at the SABC’s foreign service and was later appointed as CEO of a Theatrical Film Distribution division in South Africa - an industry in which she has worked for over three decades. Isabel joined to chat about her venture into writing with her book, which gives an account of her travels through India.

Saturday 14th November marks #WorldDiabetesDay. As the rates of Type 2 diabetes continue to rise in South Africa, more and more South African families are meeting the challenges of living with the condition. Varshan Sookhun chatted to Kelly Scholtz, Registered Dietitian and spokesperson for the Association for Dietetics in South Africa – ADSA, about how a diagnosis of diabetes in the family is a l...